Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to neon signs, more particularly to neon displays for bill boards, road signs, airport signal displays and the like. Neon signs using seven tube segments for selectively displaying numbers and letters are known. The seven segments are utilized in various combinations to display English letters and numerals, to communicate a message. U.S. Pat. No. 1,906,960 to Harris discloses a neon sign comprised of a number of segments which permits a full range of letters to be displayed by selecting appropriate segments of the display. U.S. Pat. No. 1,965,874 discloses a segmented neon display having a full range of numerals which are displayed by energizing selected segments.
Prior art neon segment displays disclose neon tube segments comprising a single tube span configuration. This arrangement provides for limited visibility as compared to the present invention, especially when viewed from a substantial distance or viewed at night. Additionally, the present invention provides a modular concept for the segmented displays to facilitate replacing displays which experience failure of tube segments or for modifying the display apparatus. Such a modular design of segment type alpha-numeric neon displays for easy replacement of an entire seven segment module is not known to the art.